Rock. Chalk. Gayhawk.

I can't believe there is no highlight of Mario Chalmers three pointer last night up on youtube yet. Would have been a great way to open this post. Stupid internet nerds.

First thing, congratulations to GopherLady, who won the first ever Down with Goldy NCAA Bracket Pool. Top Five below:

1. GopherLady
2. Theory
3. Sam Jacobson's All-Stars
4. Snacks
5. GopherKev

If these five would please shoot me an email at downwithgoldy@yahoo.com with their address and prize they want, I'll send them off. Prize list can be found at the bracket site.

Anyway, back to the game. How fun was that to watch? Obviously, there was a lot more inside action then I had predicted, as the perimeter defense was just way too good on both sides. Not to mention the way they got back on defense. Several times one team or the other would look like they might have a break going, but the defense would get back in time to break it up.

Kansas looked like it had the game in the bag the whole time, basically by getting the ball to Darrell Arthur and letting him destroy Taggert, Dorsey, or Dozier and by keeping Rose under control on the defensive end. Once Rose got going in the second half, it looked like Memphis had this one in the bag, but that free throw problem, which hadn't been a problem all tournament, finally came back to bit them in the ass - they missed four out of their last five attempts in regulation.

It was interesting to watch CDR and Brandon Rush, as they are competing for similar draft position (NBADraft.net has them going #17 and #18) and they were matched up on each other most of the game. CDR ended up with more points (22 on 7-16 compared to 12 on 5-9) but Rush had more rebounds (6 to 1) and assists (2-1). Most telling, however, was when they would try to go one-on-one against each other. Roberts got his shots off, but Rush stayed in front of him and they were difficult shots, usually over Rush. When Rush drove, however, he was able to go right by CDR and get to the rim. He didn't score more because Memphis's help defense was so good. I'd definitely take Rush over CDR if I'm drafting.

Overall, it was just a great, great game, one I'm happy I didn't miss. Probably the best championship game I can remember watching.

And here is this year's One Shining Moment in case you missed it:



And yes, Joey Dorsey will be in jail within three years.

Championship Game

Predictions:

1. Memphis wins

2. Rose and CDR once again get to the rim over and over in transition, as Kansas has no answer.

3. As easily as Russell Westbrook scored on the Tigers Saturday night, Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers will do the same as this game is dominated by the guards on both sides. Dozier, Dorsey, Taggart, Arthur, Kaun, and Jackson are relegated to mostly just rebounding and second chance points - expect possibly for Arthur who can get out and run and might be able to score on the break.

4. Cole Aldrich heads back to the bench and plays less than three minutes, if at all.

5. The game goes over the posted total of 148.5, and will be more like 160.

6. Will go pretty much down to the wire, with Memphis pulling ahead in the final minute to win 83-78.

7. Most Oustanding Player: Chris Douglas-Roberts

Semifinal Review

Unfortunately, the location I was in yesterday during the games was not the most conducive to reviewing basketball, but I was still able to watch quite a bit and can give you some thoughts. I'm sure you're thrilled.

- I was wrong. Nobody can stop Derrick Rose. I've pretty much underrated him most of the year. No more. Despite the Jayhawks' athletic guards and good defense, they won't have an answer for Rose either. I would still take Beasley over him in the NBA draft, but you can't go wrong either way. Really depends on team needs, and for the Wolves I think Beasley is more what the need.

- That Memphis/UCLA game was a game for athletes, and nothing symbolized that more than CDR's dunk over Kevin Love, see below:



Except it wasn't really even over Love, because it didn't have to be. CDR (the athlete) had the body control and ability to swerve around him in mid-drive and hit the dunk anyway, while Love (the non-athlete) couldn't get there quite in time, and when he did was completely irrelevant to the play, other than trying to take a Chris Paulus-like dive. It pretty much symbolized the whole game. The guys who played well for UCLA were their best athletes Russell Westbrook and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. I would put Collison in that athletic group too, but he couldn't get it going at all. Meanwhile guys like Shipp and Love struggled, and the Bruins had no answer on defense for CDR or Rose, or the Memphis fastbreak in general. Pretty much a thorough ass-kicking.

- I won $43 rolling dice with Theory, Dr. Acula, and Pee Wee. Go me.

- I don't know that I've ever seen a team play better than Kansas last night, particularly the opening 8 minutes in jumping out to a 33-10 lead. Offensively they were perfect, and defensively they were perfect. It was such a thorough beating that senior peon Jeremy Case even got to play in the first half.

- Cole Alrich is a beast. Played a season-high in minutes last night, scoring 9 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in the final four. Nice. That was his second highest scoring game of the year, and third highest in rebounds. More importantly, he smacked Hansbrough around and kept him off his game, helping to limit him to just thirteen shots while Ellington and Green kept chucking from the outside. They got hot for a bit and made a game of it, but taking away Hansbrough made the game an easy KU win. With Kaun and Jackson graduating this year, and Arthur probably 50/50 to enter the draft, Aldrich is going to be a key for the Jayhawks next year, and will be an absolute stud.

- Early Prediction: Kansas takes the final. But it's going to be a hell of a game.

Semifinal Saturday

Woo-hoo, the Final Four is here, and it should be a good one. Of course, two years ago I was in Vegas to watch, and this year I'll be at a BW3. Advantage: 2 years ago.

I'm still picking UCLA to take out Memphis and hold down Rose. Now, I don't mean hold down like 2 points, I mean more like going 4-14 with 12 points and a 1:1 TO/A ratio or worse. He's still going to get points, but he's also going to struggle. I will also go ahead and guarantee Dorsey is in foul trouble most of the game.

An interesting note on the second game is that Kansas plays at a lot slower tempo than I thought, ranking 132nd in the country in tempo compared to Carolina at 9th. I thought maybe it was a reflection on the Big 12, and it is a little bit as Kansas ranks fifth in the conference, but that doesn't completely explain my misperception, and they obviously don't run as much as I thought. I don't think a faster paces bothers them however, seeing as they were 16-1 in games where more than 145 points were scored. I'm also thinking it may be that they rank lower in tempo because they were in so many blowouts, where they slowed things down in the second half because they were up by so much. I'd love to see a first half vs. second half tempo split, but have no idea where to get that if it even exists. In any case, I'm still picking Kansas.

In Twins news, they picked up a good win over the previously undefeated Royals, but lost Cuddyer with a dislocated finger. I actually thought the Cuddy Bear would be tough and be back in a couple days, but he's already been put on the 15-day DL like a little whiny girl. I'm much less fond of Cuddy these days. This means we'll see more of Kubel (good), but also more of Monroe (bad). I don't know who they're calling up to take Cuddy's place, but chances are he really sucks.

Stuff about Things

1. First and foremost, the final four kicks off tomorrow. With all the hubbub about baseball starting up, I haven't spent much time thinking about it. But really, there's not much to think about. You have the four best teams in the country left, so it's not really even about matchups at this point, it's more about how well the teams play and execute. I think UCLA will take down Memphis and Kansas stops UNC.

I'm not sure why in the first game. I even had in the scrolling text up above that I was picking Memphis, but not anymore. I think Love will get Dorsey in foul trouble early, and I think Westbrook/Collison can handle Rose. CDR is the guy I'm worried about, not sure how they'll handle him. As far as the Bruins go, I think Love will destroy Dorsey by out smarting him, and their overall defense will slow down Memphis. Remember, just because UCLA generally plays a slower game doesn't mean they don't have the athletes to handle a team like Memphis - they do. Memphis also won't have Andre Allen, who got kicked off the team for smoking the ganj, a top defensive player.

In the second game, two of the worst big game coaches square off. Kansas has certainly looked more vulnerable in the tournament so far, but I think they have exactly what is needed to take down the Heels. Big men to handle Hansbrough (Arthur and Jackson), somebody quick enough to deal with Lawson (Chalmers, Collins, and Robinson), good defense (#3 defensive efficiency), the ability to run with the heels (check), and good overall athleticism (check). Look for the Jayhawks to take 'em down.

2. Took in the Twins game yesterday with Dr. Acula, and we decided it was a great way to spend a day, but once that outdoor stadium was here it will be even better. Interesting how our tickets were $7 but a 20 ounce glass of 3.2 beer is $6.50. Overall, this team is really boring, just because the offense is so anemic. Slowey was taken out in the fourth (which I predicted) due to a biceps strain (which I didn't.) He'll skip his next start, but should be back. Sidler's guy Kubel hit a homerun, which he just destroyed, but it didn't really matter as Torii Hunter hit one as well to lead the Angels to a 5-4 victory. The good news being the Twins doubled their total run about put, adding that 4 to the 4 they had in the first three games combined. On pace now for a total of 324 runs this season. It's going to be a long year.

3. Congratulations to Ohio State for running through the NIT on the way to the title. I guess they were a decent team after all. They probably should have gotten some of those quality wins during the season and made the tournament. Is a first round loss in the NCAA tournament better than an NIT championship? Yes, yes it is.

Meanwhile, the CBI championship was forced to a deciding game three with Bradley's win over Tulsa on Wednesday night. That was just weird to type overall, and no, I don't know when the final game is and I'm not going to look it up.

Fine, it's tonight at 8pm.

4. In NFL news, Chris Henry is still an ass, he got arrested again and released this time, and Brett Favre is an attention whore. It doesn't even matter if he is or isn't interested in coming back, the story is out there, and either he or his agent was the catalyst behind this. He just can't stand not being the top story, it's pathetic. Combined with the dance of will he/won't he retire for the last three off-seasons, and this douche is doing everything he can to keep his name in the paper. What an ass. He's even more like the Pete Rose of the NFL now.

5. Caught the College Slam Dunk and Three Point Contest. Best part of the night was when New Mexico's J.R. Giddens hit his first dunk, and did a spot on impression of the Carlton from the Fresh Prince dancing impression. LaSalle's Darnell Harris beat out Tennessee's Chris Lofton in the three point contest, and Arkansas's Sonny Weems won the dunk contest. Weems was a top JuCo player two years ago, so let's add Dunk Contest Winner to the possible upside for Devron Bostick.

6. "My better is better than your better" is the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life. Plus Nike's shoes fall apart.

7. Look out for Johnny Cueto

Watson v. Elk

Hey, Grandslam has decided to write again. Here we go:

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What was the most intriguing/interesting story last week at the Zurich Classic? Was it the fact the young argentinian Andres Romero won his first PGA Tour title, or was it the fact for the second week in a row mother nature had a big say in the weeks tournament?? Hell, it could even be the fact that alot of the top finishers in the field made significant jumps in the World Golf Rankings. If you say that anything that i had mention was the standout story of the week, then you clearly did not watch Friday's coverage on the golf channel.

This might possibly one of the funniest things i have ever seen on Live TV.



Now obviously for young Bubba Watson this was a situation that was happening for the majority of the first two rounds. Of course it was, for gods sake Bubba Watson hits it 40 yds. past the majority of his playing partners. The one thing that i did not like about the situation was how Steve Elkington's caddie stormed off the 18th green with his employer. I had no problem with the way Elkington reacted, cuz lets face it if you get alled out like a little bitch, your gonna be pretty pissed. And this maybe just my opinion, but Elkington should have stayed and at least shook hands with the rest of the caddies, if for anything to show them the respect.

This week the tour will head to Houston for the Shell Houston Open. This tournament has absolutely been dominated by international players in the last ten years, especially the Aussies (ie: Stuart Appleby). International players have won 7 out of the last 10 years here. 4 of those wins have gone to the Aussies (Scott, Allenby, and Appleby), as for Stuart Appleby he has 2 wins and 2 seconds in 7 career starts here.

Usually the week before a major (Masters next week) the fields are usually pretty weak. Surprisingly this week is a very strong field considering the circumstances with 5 of the top 10 in the fed ex cup standings. With this all being said, my pick for the week is an international player, and its the Aussie Stuart Appleby. With his dominance in this tournament he's someone you have to think will be right there come Sunday.

---Grandslam

Twins vs. Angels - Game 3

I haven't watched all of the game, but I figured WWWWWW would complain if I didn't post about the it.

This one has stunk so far, but it isn't without positives.

Good: Broadcast in HD

Bad: Bremer & Blyleven are still the announcers

Good: Blackburn's looked great tonight, striking out more than I'd expect, inducing plenty of ground balls, and pounding the strike zone.

Bad: The Twins "offense" has no runs through 6 and Saunders has thrown 59 pitches.  I make the pitcher work harder in MLB 08 and I swing at everything.

Good: Punto got a hit

Bad: Morneau's hit like Punto since about July of last year and has accounted for 4 outs in 3 at-bats tonight

Good: Gardy's lineup makes sense tonight.  No need to play Mauer against a lefty if he's going to sit one of the next two games and Lamb is terrible against lefties.

Bad: That means Monroe and Punto are in the lineup.  It sucks, even if it is the right move.

Good: MLB Extra Innings free preview is going on, allowing me to watch competent offenses

Bad: Jeff Brantley is a commentator for the Reds

Blackburn uncorked a wild pitch with a runner on 3rd to give up the first run of the game and is now in line for the loss.  This is why using wins and losses is dumb for pitchers.

I might update this again before the end of the game, but the Twins offense is terrible tonight and will be terrible for many more nights throughout the season.  

Before I go, another prediction--the bullpen, as a whole, is going to be significantly worse than last year.

Who needs baseball?

Excuse me, WWWWWW, it seems you have forgotten about the most exciting team in town, the one with a blueprint for success.

The masses want their Timberwolves coverage, just look at the excitement building in the Target Center before the game against Detroit!


Nevermind, the Wolves suck. At least they seem to have a sense of humor--this is the best April Fools joke I've seen all day.


See you at Target Center on the 16th!

Tuesday Night Twins/Angels recap

Just a few thougths on the game as it was a pretty dull game from a Twins fan's perspective.

-- Diet Boof had a rough 1st but seemed to get into a mini groove in the 2nd inning. Final line:
6 IP 8H 3ER 4Ks

-- In the 3rd, the hometown score keeper felt bad for Tori after he blew Garlands no hitter so they gave Kubel an undeserved hit, rahter then an error to Hunter.

-- Top of 4th, Everett-sy and Morneau-sy combine for a sexy defensive play (I know I stole that from DB who stole it from Dan from Woodbury but I still think its funny)

-- Bottom of 5 Chrissy Everett gets a 2 out RBI single finally putting the Twins on the board 4-1.(which was a make up for his shat throwing error in the top of 5 which lead to an unearned run)

-- During the Livan interview I discovered that his Spanglish is worse then Go-Go's. His Spanglish is slightly better then Diekembe Mutombo's Wookie dialect.

--Crain comes on to pitch the 7th and does a decent job which further demonstrates the magical healing powers of HGH. There is no way that he should be pitching like 8 months after surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff.

--Delmon looked a little shaky out in left field again tonight. I guess he is having a little trouble switching OF positions. The Dome may not be aiding in his transition.

-- Delmon had another great night at the plate including a single that he stretched into a double. He should have scored at least one more time but Sidlers guy Kubel stranded 4 guys on base.

-- Jerry White decided to go with the DQ helmet giveaway rather then a baseball cap. ( I learned later in the game that base coaches have to to wear those silly things this year??? Is this little league or what?)

-- Stinky Rinky or Juan Stincon, whichever you prefer, still sucks in 2008 in case you turned the game off after the 7th inning and missed his 9th inning melt down.

All and all this game sucked. Garland forced a lot of ground balls and his defense was exceptional. The Angels offense was clicking. Howie Kendrick impressed me as did Napoli. Napoli drilled a fast ball that was low and outside deep to left center for a HR.

The Twins should hope for a split.

PS Go-Go hit the ball hard all 4 times and was swinging at good pitches.

Twins = World Series Bound (and some Basketball)

First off, I added three new blogs to the link list over on the right. The National Anthem before a Cubs Game (TNABACG), a general Minnesota sports blog, and Aaron Gleeman and Stick and Ball Guy - two Twins blogs. Check them out. Additionally, I'm going to try to recap as many Twins games as I can, and certainly which ever ones I get a chance to watch - although with a kid on the way in the next few weeks and a new job, who knows if I'll have time. Hopefully Dawg and Sidler will post plenty of Twins related material for your amusement.

Livan Hernandez: According to Bert, "Livan Hernandez isn't like Johan Santana, he has to change speeds to be successful." Wasn't Santana's out pitch his changeup? Thanks again for all your wisdom, Bert. That's probably why you aren't in the hall of fame, jackass. Anyway, Hernandez was beautiful last night. Kept the ball down, didn't walk anybody, pretty much made the Angels hit his pitches on the ground, and gave up just two runs in his seven innings. I doubt he can keep this up all year, but nice start to be sure.

Carlos Gomez: Granted it's just one game, but he really impressed me. And I'm not even talking about the double, the bunt hit (holy crap is this kid fast), or the two steals. He showed a lot of patience at the plate, not only by drawing a walk but even in his strikeout at bat he drew the count out to 3-2. That was my big knock on the kid, but if he's figured out how to be a little more patient (not quite Rickey Henderson, which was another Bert comment last night) he could be deadly up there already. He's going to be a fan favorite in a hurry.

Pat Neshek and Joe Nathan: Good to know that if the Twins can get to the eighth with a lead, they have a very good chance of winning as these two were lights out once again. They each gave up a hit (Neshek's was a bloop that will be caught in the future as the left side of the defense gets used to each other and the dome) and struck out four between them, including a big Neshek K of Vlad Guerrero.

Torii Hunter: It was nice to see Hunter get a standing ovation. For all about him that drove me crazy, I can't deny his heart, effort, leadership, or charisma and what he meant to this franchise over the years. Of course, it was even nicer to see him strikeout in a close game in the ninth.

Johan Santana: Naturally, Santana rolled through his first NL start, going seven and giving up 3 hits with 8 K's. He's really good.


A couple quick basketball items:

1. There is a new ESPN Top 100 out. In it, Rodney Williams comes in at 66 and Royce White at 71. Fellow Gopher target DaShonte Riley is ranked #54.

2. Speaking of Royce, in case you missed it, he's transferring to Hopkins. He'll be joining top recruits Raymond Cowles, Trent Locket, and Mike Broghammer on a loaded Royals team that will surely be the top team in the State. Hopefully Royce can pull his act together and make the most of this opportunity.

3. Former UCLA Bruin J.R. Henderson is dominating in the Japanese league, and has become a full-fledged Japanese citizen, including changing his name to J.R. Sakuragi. His real first name is Milton. So he's now Milton Sakuragi. Must be odd to walk around Japan being 6-9, what with all the 5-2 people and ninjas and all.